1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an apparatus used to contain plants and soil and, more specifically, to a reusable planter box capable of being easily assembled and disassembled.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In a nursery where trees and large plants are grown and sold, the nursery must be able to move and replant the vegetation with a minimum amount of effort and at a low cost.
A number of devices have been developed in the area of planters and in the area of containers in general. These devices have had varying objectives and varying degrees of success. Some devices include tab and slot connections used to form a planter box or to hold the elements together, but the tab and slot connections often do not work alone. They require the attachment of additional elements to insure that the connections remain assembled until otherwise desired.
In U.S. Pat. Nos. 114,638 (1871) to Booher and 3,760,970 (1973) to Lutz, metal buildings run down each corner of the container where the separate elements come together. U.S. Pat. No. 3,047,183 (1962) to Papa uses metal corners which are located along the top and bottom edges of the container and U.S. Pat. No. 3,080,083 (1963) to Sutherlan has a frame which runs along the top and bottom perimeters of the container. These additional elements are attached to the containers in various manners and tools are required to assemble and disassemble the containers.
Among the general containers developed is the one described in U.S. Pat. No. 2,025,420 (1935) to Osgood for a collapsible wooden shipping box. The box incorporates tab and slot connections, but tape is used to insure that the connections do not separate. U.S. Pat. No. 1,344,601 (1920) to Walgren described a cylindrical container in which the cylinder is formed from a single sheet of material. The bottom is attached to the cylinder using spring clips and can be assembled and disassembled without the use of tools. When the container is full, the pressure along the cylinder is said to strengthen the bond between the cylinder and the bottom member making disassembly at this time difficult. U.S. Pat. No. 1,500,917 (1924) to Bell involves a cylindrical container with two elements that are joined together using hooks to form the cylinder. The bottom of the container is attached to the cylinder with wire that runs the perimeter of the cylinder.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,140,932 (1938) to Avery is intended for horticulture use. A pot or container is stamped out of a single sheet of leather. It is constructed by folding the sheet and inserting tabs into slots. The pot was designed to decompose quickly and easily and to be planted along with the plants. U.S. Pat. No. 716,668 (1902) to Cheney uses stubs and sockets to construct a decorative holder into which a plant in a pot can be placed.
The most common container for growing plants uses four wooden walls, each with its perimeter reinforced to form the sides of a box. Metal straps or wire hold the sides together. To remove the plant, the straps are cut and the slats fall away from the plant. The life of the wooden slats is short. They often deteriorate and are not reusable, which increases the cost to the nursery. The bottom of the wooden containers rests on the soil. Roots often creep out from the container into the surrounding soil making removal of the plants difficult.